This year at X019 in London, Xbox Games Studios was proud to unveilTell Me Why, a gripping, true-to-life narrative adventure coming to Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, Xbox Game Pass and Steam starting Summer 2020.Tell Me Whyis the next title from our partner, DONTNOD Entertainment, the studio behind the belovedLife is Strangefranchise.

Set in small-town Alaska,Tell Me Whyplaces you at the heart of a mystery in an intimate, true-to-life story where twins Tyler and Alyson Ronan use their extraordinary bond to unravel memories of a loving but troubled childhood.

“The core mechanic of the game is the special bond Tyler and Alyson share and is also a theme strongly anchored into the DONTNOD storytelling approach,” explained Florent Guillaume,Tell Me Why‘s Game Director. “Over the course of the story, players will explore the identical twins’ different memories of key events and choose which memory to believe. Ultimately, the choices players make determine the strength of the twins’ bond—and the future course of their lives.”

DONTNOD has worked closely alongside Microsoft and the LGBTQ media advocacy organizationGLAADin shaping Tyler as an authentic representation of the trans experience, as well as a genuine, multidimensional character. Tyler is also the first playable videogame hero from a major studio and publisher who is also transgender. “Microsoft and DONTNOD have approached Tyler with a real commitment to authenticity,” explains Nick Adams, Director of Transgender Representation at GLAAD. “Tyler is a fully-realized, endearing character, whose story is not reduced to simplistic trans tropes. Creating a playable lead trans character – and taking such care to get it right – raises the bar for future LGBTQ inclusion in gaming.”

The story ofTell Me Whyis comprised of three chapters that will release on a clear and predictable schedule. DONTNOD are passionate about the opportunities for community-building and audience engagement that come with episodic storytelling, but they are also dedicated to innovation and improvement.

“We listened closely to fans of narrative adventure games, and we heard loud and clear how painful unpredictable gaps between episodes can be,” said Peter Wyse, General Manager for Xbox Games Studios Publishing. “We’re thrilled to announce that the entireTell Me Whystory will release in the Summer 2020.”